


Denials and Dates

by theauthorish



Series: ChenJi's Crushes and Conundrums [3]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Denial, Denial of Feelings, Fantasy, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gay Panic, M/M, Sirens, Sweaters, chenle wants a date, jisung does not, jisungs a gay disaster, siren!chenle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:08:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26353954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theauthorish/pseuds/theauthorish
Summary: “Where are you going to take me out to?”“Why do you keep saying it like that?” complains Jisung, ears tipped with red. “Like it’s a— a—”“Date? Isn’t it?”Jisung sputters. “N-no? Why— ohmygod. We just met like. Last week, right? I think? I suck at keeping track of time. Ah, whatever—” Jisung shakes his head rapidly. “No, it’s not a date. It’s just… hanging out.”Oh. So not a date. That’s… less of a score. At least Chenle could get out of this house and get some entertainment. And Jisung would be there, presumably, right? But… how was that any different from a date?Chenle’s brow furrows. “What’s the difference? They’re both just going out and doing stuff together, right?”“They’re different!” protests Jisung, vehement. “They’re very, very different!”
Relationships: Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Series: ChenJi's Crushes and Conundrums [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1915003
Comments: 11
Kudos: 84





	Denials and Dates

**Author's Note:**

> this is part of a series, and you'll definitely need to read the first two to fully appreciate this one! the first work does have Chenle injured though.

It takes seven days exactly for Chenle to heal enough that he doesn’t think shifting will rip him open again.

He tests it out just once, when the morning light filtering in through the blinds of Jisung’s bathroom wakes him (the reef never got this bright; so no matter how much he wants to sleep through it, he can’t). He’s pleased to find that he’s right, and when he shifts, though one of his thighs has an ugly scab, long and gross-looking, his side is fine. He isn’t bleeding either.

He shifts his legs back into a tail and waits.

/////

Jisung takes veritable  _ ages  _ to wake up. Chenle has half a mind to forget his plan and just shift without Jisung present so he can take a walk around town or something, he’s so bored.

Just when he’s getting antsy enough to start doing it, there’s a knock at the door. Chenle perks up.

“Chenle-yah,” says a voice.

Chenle huffs and sinks back into the tub. “Oh. It’s you,” he says.

Taeyong pokes his head in, looking lightly amused and not offended at all, thankfully. He’s kinda nice, this Taeyong guy, and he helps take care of Chenle a lot while he’s stuck here without any trancing at all, but Chenle’s just really impatient and sulky. “Yes,” Taeyong replies. “Jisung has classes, you know. I just came to say— and you didn’t hear it from me— but Jisung really likes cute things. Like sweater paws.”

“Sweater paws?”

Taeyong nods sagely. “Renjun has them sometimes and Jisung coos over him when he’s not looking.”

“Why are you…?”

“Telling you?” When Chenle nods mutely, Taeyong winks. “Reasons. It’ll be funny.”

“What will?” Chenle asks, playing dumb. How does Taeyong know he’s planning something? Can he read minds?

“No,” giggles Taeyong, as if in answer, and Chenle bites back a gasp. “I can’t read minds.”

“Then how—“

“I’m clairvoyant,” Taeyong says with a shrug. “I know your plan. And now I’m making it better. But don’t tell Jisung, or he’ll stop rooming with me and I can’t afford this place on my own.”

Chenle blinks at him.

“Okay?”

“O...kay.”

“Good. Bye.” With a wave, Taeyong vanishes out the door.

/////

Jisung finally gets home a few hours later. Chenle can hear him rattling around downstairs, putting things away and all that, whatever it is humans do after class, and then he’s climbing up the stairs, heading, hopefully, to see Chenle.

Chenle shifts, pushes himself to his feet, and with a wave of his hand, magics himself an outfit— a simple pair of cotton pants and a soft pastel sweater so loose it swallows up his figure, makes him look smaller and softer than he really is.

Taeyong had said cute, right?

He even tops it off with a little beret.

And then, Chenle sits at the edge of the tub, crosses his legs, and waits.

The door creaks open. “I got you ice cream. It’s kinda melted and I don’t know if you can even…” The little plastic package in Jisung’s hand drops to the floor with a crinkly little  _ thwap _ sound, and so does Jisung’s jaw, it seems.

_ Yes. _

Chenle smiles as sweetly as he can and tilts his head. “Yes?”

“You— why—“ Jisung gestures vaguely at Chenle, and Chenle grins a little brighter, lets his eyes wrinkle up the way he  _ knows  _ makes him look adorable, and his dimples stand out. “Ohmygod?”

Chenle stands and takes a single step closer to Jisung. 

Jisung takes a step back, red steadily crawling up his cheeks. Heh. He’s so easy, it’s kind of hilarious.

Chenle decides to let him have his space for now, though. He’s just that magnanimous.

“Isn’t it cute?” Chenle says instead, giving a little twirl. “I magicked it myself.”

Jisung doesn’t answer, just keeps gaping, eyes fixed on Chenle’s fingers, just peeking out enough from the sleeves for him to twiddle his thumbs. Chenle waits for him to process, or whatever it is he’s doing.

After a long moment, Jisung snaps his gaze up to Chenle’s, and then away, glaring at the sink.

Gosh, he’s so,  _ so  _ cute.

“Jisung?” prompts Chenle.

Nothing comes, so with a sigh, Chenle steps right up to him. He hears Jisung suck in a sharp breath, though he doesn’t make any more attempts to retreat, and Chenle bites back a smirk, because this is really funny, okay.

He bends down to pluck the forgotten, half-melted ice cream package from the floor, and holds it out with a soft flutter of his lashes. “You dropped this,” he murmurs, taking Jisung’s hand in his and pressing the ice cream back into it.

Jisung has… really big hands, Chenle’s noticed. He likes them more than he cares to admit.

“I—“ Jisung chokes out. “Why the...?”

“So you do remember how to speak,” teases Chenle, eyes twinkling. He pauses, pretending to be confused, glancing down at himself with a furrow of his brow. “Is there something wrong with it? I thought this was what you humans wear, you know, clothes? Should I—”

“No! I mean, ohmygod. Yes, we wear—” Jisung cuts himself off, squinting at Chenle, who’s valiantly fighting a grin. It’s a losing battle, admittedly. It’s not his fault Jisung’s so stupidly, adorably gullible. “You’re making fun of me. You  _ know _ about clothes.”

“Well, duh,” Chenle snickers. “You didn’t think someone who was only guessing at clothes would pull together such a good outfit, did you?”

Jisung puffs his cheeks out, arms crossed over his chest and is he… is he pouting?

How can he possibly get any cuter? This is unfair. This is  _ so _ unfair. He can’t be a giant  _ and _ the tiniest, sweetest,  _ squishiest _ thing Chenle’s ever encountered in his life at the same fucking time! Chenle’s going to lose his mind.

He really, really wants to keep this human boy. He’s keeping him.

“Aw, no don’t pout, it’s okay. I just couldn’t resist. You’re too cute  _ not _ to tease.”

“I’m not cute. And I’m  _ not _ pouting.” Jisung pouts harder.

“Yes, you are.” Chenle nods to himself, one palm up to halt any protests Jisung might have. “I want to go out,” he declares, when Jisung finishes floundering around, trying without success to find something to say in response. “Take me out.”

“What? I— I have to put this in the freezer,” Jisung stammers out, waving the likely long-melted ice cream in hand.

Chenle shrugs. “Okay. Do that. Then take me out.”

Jisung grumbles something inaudible, turning on his heel and speed-walking out, down the hall, down the stairs… Chenle follows after him easily enough, practically skipping.

Cute boy is taking him on a date! Score.

“Where are you going to take me out to?”

“Why do you keep saying it like that?” complains Jisung, ears tipped with red. “Like it’s a— a—”

“Date? Isn’t it?”

Jisung sputters. “N-no? Why— ohmygod. We just met like. Last week, right? I think? I suck at keeping track of time. Ah, whatever—” Jisung shakes his head rapidly. “No, it’s not a date. It’s just… hanging out.”

Oh. So not a date. That’s… less of a score. At least Chenle could get out of this house and get some entertainment. And Jisung would be there, presumably, right? But… how was that any different from a date?

Chenle’s brow furrows. “What’s the difference? They’re both just going out and doing stuff together, right?”

“They’re different!” protests Jisung, vehement. “They’re very, very different!”

“Yeah, but  _ how. _ You gotta explain, human boy, or your argument is invalid and I win.”

“I have a name.”

Chenle sniffs, crossing his arms. “You don’t deserve your pretty name right now.”

“Pr— hey, that doesn’t make any sense! It’s just— it’s the principle! Dates are romantic!” Jisung (and Chenle too) has been standing in front of the fridge for the past two minutes, but he finally seems to remember he had a purpose for coming here, yanking the freezer door open and chucking the ice cream inside, heedless for where it lands— at least until it bounces off the shelf and drops to the floor with a sad little  _ splat _ . 

Jisung groans and scoops it back up, shoving it in properly and flicking the freezer shut again. He doesn’t turn around yet, though, refusing to look at Chenle.

“It can’t be romantic. We barely know each other.”

“You’ve seen me naked, though,” Chenle points out, more to be contradictory than because he believes he has a real rebuttal. He deserves to be a little combative; he’s not getting what he wants, he can at least bully Jisung a little for it.

“I— shut up. That’s. I don’t want to think about that. You were in fish form.”

“I am  _ not  _ a fish!”

“You’re half of one.”

“No, I am— that’s not— if he wouldn’t kill me for getting myself into this mess,” says Chenle, gravely, “I would drag you to Kun- _ ge  _ for a siren biology lesson. He’d drill the information into your head and you’d  _ wish so hard _ you didn’t know half of it.”

Jisung edges around the kitchen, around Chenle, shuffling awkwardly so he can  _ still _ keep his back turned. “Fine, fine,” in a tone that is  _ not _ fine at all, because he clearly doesn’t realize the gravity of Chenle’s threat, hurried and dismissive. “We can go  _ hang out  _ at the pier, so let me go get changed into something less sweaty.”

“I still want it to be a date!” Chenle calls after him, though he settles down at the dining table to wait.

“No! Not today!”

Not today? Chenle brightens up. “That means next time, right?!”

The door to Jisung’s room (or so Chenle assumes) slams shut.


End file.
